Confusion persists over selection of hockey men’s team for C’Wealth Games

By Tushar Dutt & Joe Williams | Place: Pune | Agency: DNA

As if the rivalry between Hockey India (HI) and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) was not enough to complicate things for the sport, a new confusion has cropped up to make the matters worse.

The probables for the Commonwealth Games (CWG) have already come to Pune to attend the camp, but nobody in the camp knows that who will select the team. The campers know that the selection trials are scheduled to be held in the first week of September, but they have no clue about who will be appointing the selection committee.

When contacted, government representative in the selection committee Ajit Pal Singh said, “The selection panel is already formed. It is the same panel, who had selected the teams earlier. Our job is to select the team and that’s it. I don’t want to get into other things.”

But HI advisor Anupam Ghulati said it is HI who will select the team. “It is obvious HI will appoint the selectors and we will select the team for the CWG,” he said. “We have recently selected the women’s team for the World Cup and there is no doubt that we will select the men’s team too,” Ghulati added.

Though Ghulati is pretty sure about the selection trials, former IHF chief KPS Gill rubbished the claim. “How can HI select the team? I am not saying IHF will select the team, but it is definitely not HI. We have already had a word with the sports ministry and they are in a better position to solve the confusion,” said Gill.